To Paradise and Back - On a Houseboat in the Backwaters of Kerala

'Kerala - God's own country,' a catchphrase introduced by Kerala Tourism is truly an apt reflection of this southernmost state of India, nestled cosily in the western ghats along the Malabar Coast.

The state is blessed with a rich bio-diversity, lush green forests, vast tea plantations and backwaters.

And sailing on one of these backwaters of Kerala which is a network of canals, lagoons and lakes running along the Malabar Coast, can be an exhilarating experience.

We flew from Delhi to Kochi for this journey.

From Kochi, we hired a cab to reach Alappuzha or Alleppey as it is commonly known. It's a distance of 53 km that can be covered in about 90 minutes.

Alleppey is world-renowned as the backwater tourist destination of India.

The backwaters in Alleppey are spread over an area of 300 sq km. There are various options available to stay in Alleppey, both on or near the backwaters.

We had made our bookings for an overnight Houseboat cruise with Spice Route Luxury Cruises, a company that specializes in conducting boat cruises on the Alleppey backwaters.

We had high expectations from this trip since we had read that quite a few celebrities have also stayed on this boat for an overnight cruise.

There are many kinds of boats depending upon the number of people in your group. We had opted for 'Saffron', a boat with one bedroom for a couple.

Upon reaching Alleppey, we travelled through rustic bylanes to reach the Spice Route Office. The office turns out to be a vintage villa that also serves as an embarking centre for the boats.

The dream boat 'Saffron'

We're greeted with warm smiles and traditional garlands before getting on Saffron.

The boat has a crew of 3 dedicated staff to look after the two of us! The driver or captain of the boat, a cook and a caretaker.

'Saffron' is like a dream sailing on the water.

It has a traditional thatched roof from the outside and an uber-luxurious interior, very tastefully done, as promised on the Spice Routes website.

It offers all the luxuries and amenities one can imagine on a small cruise boat.

The air-conditioned boat has a small bar, a lounge area, a sundeck on the first floor, and an amazing massive jacuzzi in the spacious bathroom.

We spent the first hour exploring the boat with childlike enthusiasm and clicking pictures.

The three-man staff go about their business to get our lunch ready.

5-star accommodation and facilities on board...this is as luxurious as it can get!

In about an hour, a sumptuous lunch comprising of delicious fish curry is served with rice and various accompaniments. The caretaker had enquired about our food preferences at the start of the journey itself.

After lunch, we spend a lazy afternoon on the sundeck.

The boat moves at a very leisurely pace giving ample time for the cool sea breeze to swirl around us in soft manoeuvres. The friendly hum of the boat's engine is broken only by the chirping of birds and the gently cascading waters as it sails past small villages and paddy fields.

Hearing the sound of silence!

The entire area around the Alleppey backwater is lined with quaint villages that appear to have been frozen in time. The water line along the coast is dotted with charming houses with thatched roofs and small verandahs facing the water body.

One can spend the entire day looking at the flurry of activity taking place here. People use this water for washing, bathing and doing their everyday chores.

The caretaker informs us that we can get out of the boat to see one of the villages, get an Ayurvedic massage done, talk to locals, inspect the paddy fields and even get a hand-picked fish or lobster for our dinner that evening.

The last two options sound very appealing. A little before dusk, we step out into the village nearby and take a walk to the nearby paddy fields.

We picked a big tiger prawn from a nearby vendor for our dinner that evening. The prawn was cooked to perfection.

A walk in the nearby paddy fields till dusk falls!

The day happened to be our wedding anniversary, and as a special surprise gesture, we even got to cut a cake on the boat.

At night, the boat docks around 10 km away into the backwaters.

The dark water all around is absolutely still, suddenly there is commotion and beams of light come out of nowhere. I wake up to see lots of small boats around full of people, shouting out to each other, ferrying everyday goods from one boat to another, maybe for their own use or for tourists who are staying all along the water line.

After an hour or so of brouhaha, the dark quiet of the water returns.

The next morning, we woke up to a glorious sunrise visible from our room and the appetizing smell of freshly cooked Appams* and chicken stew that they had cooked on our request.

Sunrise on the Alleppey backwaters

The boat comes back to the point where it started the day earlier at Alleppey at around 10:30 in the morning. The staff bids us a warm farewell, and we, in turn, thank them for their hospitality.

This was a one-day trip on a houseboat into paradise and back!

*Appam is a thin pancake made from fermented rice batter and coconut milk.